Nunavut dedicates new government office to climate change fight

A rainy December in Iqaluit. The Government of Nunavut has created of a new office dedicated to the territory’s mitigation and adaptation efforts against climate change. (FILE PHOTO)

The Government of Nunavut plans to step up its efforts against climate change with the creation of a new office dedicated to the territory’s mitigation and adaptation efforts.

Starting Nov. 30, the Energy Secretariat under Nunavut’s department of Economic Development and Transportation, and the Department of Environment’s climate change section, will merge to form the new Climate Change Secretariat, the GN announced this week.

“Nunavummiut have an important voice and a crucial role to play in national and international discussions on climate change,” Environment Minister Joe Savikataaq said in a Nov. 4 release.

“The Arctic is experiencing the most rapid and severe effects of climate change and this new secretariat will work to ensure that Nunavut is prepared.”

Most other Canadian provinces and territories already have an office or branch dedicated to climate change in place, most often under or adjacent to the department of environment.

But the need for mitigation and adaptation efforts are arguably more urgent across Canada’s Arctic where the average temperature has risen two degrees Celsius over the last half century.

The new secretariat will serve communities across the territory by providing resources and programs designed for those communities’ needs, while also building local capacity, Savikataaq said.

“The creation of this secretariat is an important step to address the unique challenges we face in Nunavut with respect to climate change,” he said.

“I look forward to working with our federal counterparts to ensure that Nunavut’s knowledge and approaches are reflected in our country’s broader climate change policy.”